More than 50 people have already signed up with the Foundation for the Art and Science of Tattooing,
so that after their deaths, pathologists can remove the skin carrying
their tattoo, pack it in formaldehyde and send it to a laboratory where
the water and fat will be removed and replaced with silicone. They then
become the property of the foundation, put on display or "loaned" to
family and friends of the deceased.

The Guardian also spoke to our friend Dr. Matt Lodder on the history behind tattooed skin preservation; Matt notes that there are collections of tattooed skin at museums in Krakow, Tokyo and London; however, a big difference in this case, is that "the foundation is ensuring the tattoos that are preserved are kept with
the owner's permission."

"Everybody with tattoos has that idea. It's not a new idea, we just found a way to actually do it."

Quoted in the Reuters article "Dutch entrepreneur to preserve tattoos of the dead," these words above, by tattooer Peter van der Helm, has caused quite a buzz among collectors and artists who, indeed, have for a long time thought about preserving tattooed skin; however, even with international media picking up on the Reuters story, it's still not crystal clear how post-mortem bequeathing of tattooed skin plays out in The Netherlands, and beyond.

The actual preserving of skin is clearer. According to Reuters:

Hirschfeld and about 30 other clients of the "Walls and Skin" tattoo parlor, which is tucked away in a canal house in the Dutch capital, have donated their skin to the company in a will and each paid a few hundred euros.

When they die a Dutch pathologist will remove the tattoo and freeze or package it in formaldehyde, ideally within 48 hours. It will then be sent to a laboratory outside the Netherlands, where a 12-week procedure extracts water and replaces it with silicone, leaving a rubbery substance.

What's interesting to me is the way the laws of each country will treat how these remains can be passed along -- as well as be bought and sold. Will it just be like the treatment of cremation ashes (which have been incorporated in tattoo memorials) or fall under some other legal structure -- or not addressed at all, leaving it for entrepreneurs like Peter van der Helm to fulfill the tattooed's final wishes?***UPDATE: I spoke with Peter van der Helm and here's what he said of the process:

"You are actually donating your body to us and we make agreements upfront on how the tattoo should be handled. Legal wise, the remains become a product after the process we use is finished (by law). So it's not classified as human remains anymore."